Category / Living on Purpose

by tracymauro

Mother’s Day Weekend for the Rest of Us

Looking out of my apartment’s window on this Mother’s Day weekend….

I love it when the wind rocks the chair on my balcony. I like to think that my Mom dropped in from Heaven to sit with me for a bit. I know she would love that spot if she were still alive.

If you are blessed to have your Mom, your wife, your kids with you on this weekend – celebrate each other well – with not a drop of love held back.

But as for the rest of us: those of us who never had children, or Moms whose babies wait for them in heaven, or those of us whose Moms, wives, or those who have otherwise nurtured and loved us well no longer walk this earth with us… know that you are not forgotten and love and prayers rise up for you.

You see, to be a mother – a nurturing, life-giving one – isn’t limited to the physical bearing of children. And a mother’s love lives on long after the temporary separation death brings has occurred.

So my prayer for the rest of us on this weekend is that though it may be bittersweet – it will still be beautiful. May precious memories surround more than grief weighs you down. May you be reminded that your inestimable worth is not determined by your ability to give birth.

I say to you… to me… Happy Mother’s Day. On this weekend that is for many so bittersweet – May we sense the full and nurturing Presence of the One who died to set us free. And know, that when you have those moments when the tears begin to creep, He, too, understands and with you weeps.

Happy Mother’s Day….

by tracymauro

A Prayer for Empathy from Isolation

A Prayer for Empathy from Isolation
 
By Tracy Mauro
March 24, 2020

A virus -
To our eyes unseen
Holds us under lock and key.
But still we find that we are free
Through purchased connectivity.
But what of those who aren’t so free?
Even in better times than these
Chronic illness, addiction, lack or disease
Makes isolation their constant reality.
Though we can't fully know their pain
Perhaps now we won't turn away
Now that we have had a little taste -
May this strange season birth new grace.
by tracymauro

The Two-Step to God’s Best: A Dance Move for Your Soul

1) Let God reveal….

Listen. Be still. Be present. Be aware. (This is not an easy task in today’s world filled with these little screens in our hands).

And…. Don’t limit the way He speaks to a sermon, Bible verse, or some seemingly theological insight. He may speak to you through a friend, a movie, the top 40 on the radio, or -most often- a quiet whisper to your own soul.

2)Stay steady.

Remain consistent. Sync your every step with the Maker of your soul.

And notice…. I didn’t say (nor did the Bible) that this is a two-step plan to happiness or to the Westernized world’s version of success.

God’s best may not feel good in the moment. It may not look good or smell right or put you in the limelight.

But it will create a stronger connection to our Creator and to His most favorite creation, other people.

And… in the end, isn’t that all that matters?

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Jesus, Matthew 22:37-39

by tracymauro

Decisions…

Yesterday I finally joined most of the rest of the civilized world by subscribing to Netflix. I’m not a big TV watcher. Give me a book over a movie and a chapter over a show, please. I would rather have a high definition life than a high definition screen.

But I also have had a nearly 5 decade pattern of chronic disorganization. So I had to see what this “Tidy Up” business with Marie Kondo is all about.

And, like a “few” others – I’m officially hooked. On the show. Whether I get hooked on the actual process of tidying up remains to me seen. (Side note: My cat was relieved to learn she still “sparks joy” so she will not be returned to the wild).

I did glean one main observation from my mini binge watch last night. The people in the shows were not slobs or hoarders. They were simply normal good people who really did not want to make a decision about their stuff. Or maybe not so much about their stuff but about the parts of their lives that stuff represents.

So let’s determine not to let fear keep us from making decisions. It may be in our physical surroundings or it may be in our heads… but eventually that indecision will become clutter blocking our pathway forward.